Hello and Happy Sunday Dec. 15th….yikes! Time is flying…and boy is time a luxury these days, the holiday crunch is officially on. Notice my new banner? I said I would use both banners for the month of December, so this one will be for the remainder..so pretty and so appropriate given we have snow on the ground.

Yesterday was my birthday! We got a snowstorm which made it awfully cozy and the snow was a great excuse to stay in and enjoy all the birthday phone calls, gifts and even a few flower deliveries:) I felt special and we got out (in the snow) for dinner with friends, last night which was a nice break from the increasingly busy days.? I apologize to my many blog friends whose blogs I haven’t had a lot of time to visit…I promise I will be back and will have such fun seeing what I have missed. I will be posting a bit less in the next two weeks as I prepare for family coming in, my family Christmas party and Christmas in general but hope to post at least twice a week. You know blogland is my happy place!

?I must say I am thrilled to be done with the bulk of my decorating and gift buying, that in itself is the biggest Christmas gift I could possibly receive! But still have a good amount to do, having it snow all day yesterday? did not help, on the other hand it forced me inside and I got done nearly all my decorating and am up to date on my gift wrapping so all was not lost.

Excited to announce not but two wonderful giveaways…told you there would be one every week until Christmas and the fun continues. Two of my most favorite things too….chocolate and makeup!

?GIVEAWAY #1. The first is a fabulous new book giveaway form the queen of makeup, Judith August, the makeup artist to the stars. Her new book just came out and is getting all kinds of rave reviews, it shares all of Judith’s inside secrets to looking absolutely flawless..now tell me, who wouldn’t want to know that! You would be hard pressed to find a top makeup artist who does not count on Judith August products for getting the job done!

?On top of the book,? the lucky winner will get to choose one product from her amazing line of products to be included with the book. Visit Judith by clicking here and take a look at the line, come back here and tell me an item you would love to have. Want a second chance? Visit her Facebook by clicking here and leave a comment (be sure to add your are visiting from The Enchanted Home). Thank you Judith August!

GIVEAWAY #2. The second giveaway is something near and dear to my heart….candy specifically chocolate. Sucre of New Orleans is a New Orleans institution for fine chocolates, macaroons, king cakes and just about any other sweet confection your sweet tooth can dream up. If you are looking for a last minute heavenly gift, then consider giving a box of their famous chocolates or macaroons to a lucky recipient. They have so kindly offered a giveaway for all those sweet lovers out there! One lucky winner will need to adjust her waistband and make room for these delectable goodies!

To enter visit Sucre by clicking here,? come back here and tell us something you would love to try. Want a second chance? Visit Sucre on Facebook here and tell them what you love (be sure to add you are from The Enchanted Home), I will announce a lucky winner for both on Wednesday. Thanks Sucre!!

Of course mostly I am busy with all things Christmas around here but there are some other exciting things going too. The MOST exciting thing to happen in a very long time was drumroll….I GOT MY CARPETING IN MY BEDROOM!!! You cannot imagine how in love with it I am, its a total love affair.

I never knew carpeting could excite me this much. But the room is totally transformed. It feels so warm and cozy now…..not barren and cold. I am going to show you a snippet but will wait for a full reveal when the room is completed. And believe me I am super motivated now that the carpeting has at long last arrived and is installed…….

I LOVE snow pictures. Had to whip out my camera during this last snowfall……

Two posts I really really enjoyed this past week. If you have a few extra minutes, you must read these! One will make you laugh until your belly aches and the other will make you cry from the sheer beauty and the poignant message. I promise you will not be disappointed!!

Lovely Anita from Castles Crowns and Cottages posted on “We are not alone” , it will give you chills, tears of joy and a sense of inner warmth…I promise!! Crank up the music as you read her post, I get goosebumps just thinking of it!

And hysterical Kate of Preppy Empty Nester will have you rolling and laughing hysterically. Click here if you need a great laugh.? I laughed so hard that my son came in from the other room prepared to call 911, wondering who the crazy laughing hyena was in the next room:)

I LOVE when my readers and customers send me their pictures of things they have bought from me. I had to share these recent submissions…just too pretty to not share!

?A reader was inspired after seeing my powder room wallpaper and used it in her gogerous dining room….wow!! I love this paper so much even to this day:)

?Talented Anita bought this cake plateau and transformed it into a work of art featuring a totally charming Christmas scene as only Anita can!

Love the way Emily of Splendid Market packaged the beautiful silver serving pieces she bought from me…who wouldn’t want to receive such an elegant gift!

Did some more tweaking with my decor, its a month long process:)? Added a pretty festive feeling vignette to my antique secretary. Got some more gifts wrapped…am up to date until my next batch of gifts arrives to get wrapped. I had fun adding satin ribbon to literally every package and fun pretty little embellishments….I was unstoppable yesterday:)

Added this large blue and white bowl with huge sugar pine cones and a few berries and evergreen

And a picture of my nearly finished Christmas tree with some gifts (at long last) underneath it and love how you can see the shimmering lights beyond my front door…an advantage to putting it in the foyer

?I also want to announce the start of my final contest for 2013, “Christmas magic”. I will be collecting pictures as of today through Jan. 1st. I will hold the contest on Jan. 4-6th and announce the winner(s) on Jan 7th. As the name implies….please send your pictures of anything Christmas related, your decorated front door, a beautifully wrapped gift, a table set with your Christmas finest, your darling kids and pets are always a hit, whatever the name “Christmas magic” means to you! Since my “Hooray for the Holidays” post included some Christmas pictures, if you would like to use the entry you used for that please just email me to let me know and I will be happy to include it. I cannot wait to start getting your entries!! Remember-

• 2 entries per person (they must be your pictures, not downloaded from internet)
• Please in subject line when you email me put Christmas Magic (get tons of emails )